A tale of two rain gardens: Barriers and bridges to adaptive management of urban stormwater in Cleveland, Ohio

Abstract

Green infrastructure installations such as rain gardens and bioswales are increasingly regarded as viable tools to mitigate stormwater runoff at the parcel level. The use of adaptive management to implement and monitor green infrastructure projects as experimental attempts to manage stormwater has not been adequately explored as a way to optimize green infrastructure performance or increase social and political acceptance. Efforts to improve stormwater management through green infrastructure suffer from the complexity of overlapping jurisdictional boundaries, as well as interacting social and political forces that dictate the flow, consumption, conservation and disposal of urban wastewater flows. Within this urban milieu, adaptive management-rigorous experimentation applied as policy-can inform new wastewater management techniques such as the implementation of green infrastructure projects. In this article, we present a narrative of scientists and practitioners working together to apply an adaptive management approach to green infrastructure implementation for stormwater management in Cleveland, Ohio. In Cleveland, contextual legal requirements and environmental factors created an opportunity for government researchers, stormwater managers and community organizers to engage in the development of two distinct sets of rain gardens, each borne of unique social, economic and environmental processes. In this article we analyze social and political barriers to applying adaptive management as a framework for implementing green infrastructure experiments as policy. We conclude with a series of lessons learned and a reflection on the prospects for adaptive management to facilitate green infrastructure implementation for improved stormwater management.

Coupling distributed stormwater collection and managed aquifer recharge: Field application and implications

“…These patterns are influenced by decadal-scale climate cycles (Shang et al, 2011;Jong et al, 2016) and may be associated with anthropogenic climate change (Zhang et al, 2007;Liu et al, 2009;Min et al, 2011;Mahlstein et al, 2012). Urbanization also contributes to increased runoff generation and decreased recharge, creating stormwater management challenges (National Research Council, 2008;Cantone and Schmidt, 2011;Wright et al, 2012;Chaffin et al, 2016;Jia et al, 2016). Collecting and infiltrating excess runoff can mitigate flooding and help bring groundwater basins into balance.…”

Patch and landscape‐scale variables influence the taxonomic and functional composition of beetles in urban greenspaces

“…, Park and Ciorici , Chaffin et al. ). Vacant lots and other forms of greenspace established on these formerly developed patches have been highlighted as potentially important for conservation as they support a high richness and abundance of beneficial taxa that provide desired ecosystem services (Uno et al.…”

Factors Contributing to the Hydrologic Effectiveness of a Rain Garden Network (Cincinnati OH USA)

“…Each of these sub-systems or processes are interactive factors contributing to the overall goal of maintaining retention functions, and minimizing risk of rain garden failure as overflow to the sewer system. After a rain garden is implemented, the nature and relative importance of these factors can change with time, affect rain garden effectiveness, and may require maintenance and adaptation [7][8][9][10]. Numerous studies have evaluated their effectiveness at sediment removal and other benefits to water quality [6,11].…”